Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Tartous, SANA-Banana cultivation is considered as one of the successful crops with high productivity along the Syrian coast. It has become a major source of livelihood for some families, in addition to its major role in supporting the national economy, as the planted areas during the current year’s season reached at 1775 dunums of protected cultivation, and nearly 998 dunums of natural farming, according to Tartous Agriculture Department.
Head of the Department of Planting Production in Tatous, Mrs.Yasser Ali, told SANA that the experiment with banana cultivation began in the nineties of the last century, within closed halls, and with the noticeable change in the climatic factors of the environment, it became possible to grow it outdoors, which helped introduce the cultivation of new suitable kinds of banana.
Ali added that current production estimated for the banana season in both protected and open cultivation amount to nearly 4427.3 tons.
In turn, farmer Samer Zidan from Baniyas, said that his banana agricultural project is considered a primary source of income for him which provides job opportunities for 8 workers, adding that he gives it a lot of attention and care day and night. Zidan indicated that he now has sufficient experience on how to care for the production in terms of fertilization, irrigation, and pest control and agricultural diseases that affect it and others.
For his part, farmer Nader Hamidi from Baniyas countryside said that the area of his project is about 4 dunams, as he started with five hundred banana seedlings in 2022, reaching a thousand seedlings to date, most of which are in production.
He also worked to increase the area of his project by planting about 1,200 seedlings, adding that the appropriate period for planting it is during the months of March and April, and it produces production during the same year.
Hybah Sleiman / Mazen Eyon
